Knitting needle



y 31, 1956 R. w. WOODRUFF ETAL 2,756,576

KNITTING NEEDLE Filed Feb. 18, 1955 IN V EN TORS Rollin WWoodruff IIQI'IQVSWGdbQZgT KNITTING NEEDLE Rollin W. Woodruif and Irene V. Swadberg, Porfland, Oreg.

Application February 18, 1955, Serial No. 489,015

5 Claims. (Cl. 66-117) This invention relates to knitting needles and, more particularly, to a knitting needle having a reduced neck to which is joined a head formed with equi spaced longitudinal ridges and grooves thereby providing a digital feel allowing the knitter to stitch without loss of the yarn, or so-called dropped stitches, even though the needles and yarn are not subject to conscious visual observation.

Knitting as an art has been brought to great perfection in the variety and beauty of sti tchery and the art as we now know it is in many respects new. Originally used chiefly by peasant peoples, knitting was practiced for utilitarian purposes such as scarves, socks, shawls, and etticoats. Today, hand-knitting is becoming increasingly popular and the variety of objects knitted has been increased to include factors of style, fit, color, and the like. At the same time, however, the knitting of more stylish or more complex articles ofclothings is more time consuming even for the more experienced hand knitters. For this reason, many women carry their knitting with them and utilize every free moment to add a few stitches. For example, with the increasing popularity of television, this has come to mean that many women attempt to knit while watching the viewing screen of a television set. It is one object of cur invention to provide a knitting needle which reduces the complexity of the knitting operation and thus is saving of time in that perfect workcan be turned out without loss of a stitch.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in hand knitting, only the most expert and experienced persons can knit a garment without conscious visual observation of the build-up of the individual stitches. The novice or the knitter with moderate experience and skill inadvertently will drop stitches, will form loops of unequal diameter and otherwise will produce imperfect work if an attempt is made to knit while watching television or while otherwise directing the vision other than upon the work. At the same time, we have found that with moderate practice and by utilizing a special head upon the knitting needle having a reduced neck, a woman soon can de velop a digital feel or a :tell tale ability to knit with substantial perfection and without dropping a stitch yet without visually observing the individual stitches; The provision of a knitting needle and a special head which allows this result is one important object of our invention.

A further object of our invention is to provide an elongated acorn shaped head for a knitting needle, which head is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof to allow the needle to be worked with equal facility while held in any rotational position.

Another object of our invention is the provision of t a knitting needle head with special radial shoulders arranged to lie in a common plane in order to catch a length of yarn and draw it through the loops previously formed without dropping a stitch and without retarding the speed of the knitting operation.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide a head for a knitting needle which will pick up the yarn and nited States Patent 0 peripheral outline of thehead.

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carry it through the loops without visual observation yet without injury to the .work itself or to the fingers of the person doing the knitting.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide a knitting needle which allows a rapid, positive operation in hand knitting without visual observation of the individual stitches.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent during a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a foreshortened side view of an entire knitting needle having the special acorn shaped head of the instant invention formed upon the tip thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the neck and head with a length of yarn caught by the ridges and lying in the saddles or grooves which extend longitudinally the length of the head;

Fig. 3 is a top or end on view of the structure of Fig. 2 showing the manner in .which the yarn lies against the reduced neck of the needle and within the peripheral outline of the projecting ridges or shoulders.

In the main, hand knitting is practiced with two separate needles or with two heads joined by a flexible coil of wire. Varying sizes of needles are utilized for various types of work and many different stitches are employed 7 to knit various types of garments with varying designs. The instant invention may be incorporated in a knitting needle of substantially any size or type for use in forming any stitch and, to this end, we have illustrated the most popular type of straight needle in Fig. l of the drawings.

The component elements of our knitting needle include an elongated cylindrical shank 4 which is joined by a reduced neck portion 5 to an enlarged head 6. The blunt end of the needle may, where desire-d, carry a cap or ferrule 7 the details of which form no pant of the instant invention. As shown, the needle is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof and both the shank 4- and neck 5 are of circular cross section. Progressing in a direction from the cap 7 toward the head 6, the neck 5 is of decreasing or convergent dimension to the point where the acorn shaped head is joined thereto. This provides a shoulder structure which protrudes a greater distance than the diameter of the yarn as hereinafter will be explained. In practice, of course, the shank, neck, and head all are formed as an integral unit and the material from which the needle is formed preferably is metal, plastic, or the like.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2. and 3, the head 6 is acorn or cone shaped and is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof. Six radially protruding and longitudinally extending ridges 8 are separated from one another by intervening longitudinal grooves 9. The ridges 8 are convergent in a longitudinal direction away from the neck 5 and are joined adjacent the tip or end of the head to define a pointed end to the needle itself. In similar manner, the grooves 9 become progressively more narrow and terminate toward the tip of the needle so as to define longitudinal saddles or the like for the reception of a length of yarn. Both the grooves and the ridges are rounded so as to be smooth and thus prevent damage to the work in progress, the yarn and the fingers of the knitter. Toward the base of the head 6, the ridges 8 and the grooves 9 terminate substantially in a common plane which is normal to the axis of the needle. Within this plane, the shank or base ends of the ridges 8 are spaced circumferentially equal distances from one another and radially equal distances from the neck 5 as shown in Fig. 2. The projecting structure thus defines plural radial shoulders to catch a length of yarn against the reduced portion of the neck 5 and below the shoulders within the In more detail, it will be noted that the surfaces of both the ridges 8 and the grooves 9 are smooth and are blended and joined with smooth surfaces so as to prevent damage to the yarn held thereby or moving thereacross. At the same time, the ridgesS project in a'radial direction and substantially normal to theaxis of the head so that a length of yarn 10 will tend. tobe drawn against the neck and will be retained Within the peripheral outline of the head as shown in Fig. 3. In cooperationwith the grooves 9, this brings the ends of the length of yarn to rest within two of the spacedrgrooves 9. The yarn thus isheld lengthwise by the-grooves to prevent circumferential displacement while beingheld bythe projecting shouldders to prevent longitudinal displacement all as shown in Fig. 2. The exact or precise number of grooves and ridges is, of course, not critical except as the size is effected thereby. Experience has shown, however, that a sufficient number of these retention elements must be provided to cause a ridge and a groove ,to be in position for retention irrespective of the angular position of the needle so that the yarn will not slip from the needle during knitting. Atthe same time, the width of each groove 9 must be sufficient to shroud and thus to retain the yarn and the radial projection of the ridges 8 must serve the same function. It is for this reason that weprovide no fewer than four ridges and prefer, in the commercial version of our invention, that the number be six.

As previously-mentioned, one of our inventive objects is to provide a knitting needle which allows stitches to be taken without visual observation. To this end, it is of substantial importance that the head '6 be symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the needle. Thus, the needle itself may be held in any rotational position and the digital feel as the fingers of-the knitter grip the head will always be the same. Thus, for example, while a similar retention function can be served by a fish hook or other non symmetrical structure, the symmetrical, equispaced ridge and groove construction of our invention is more practical and more etficient. When the housewife is knitting with theillustrated needle, she need not worry about the rotational position of the head since the structure is symmetrical and the yarn will be retained by the ridges and grooves irrespective of the rotationalposition.

The use of the needle can be illustrated with respect to a typical basic knitting operation. For example, in casting on stitches, two needles are utilized. These two needles may be both of our inventive type or the left hand needle -may be of a conventional type and the right hand needle -of our inventive type. In either event, a loop of yarn first is made upon the left hand needle. Thereinafter, the right hand needle is slipped through the loop and the yarn is drawn forward around the right hand needle to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The yarn then is drawn through and the loop is slipped on the right hand needle to form an extra stitch. This process is repeated for the desired number of stitches or until a row of knitting is completed. Where this process is attempted without visual observation it will be recognized that it is difiicult to draw the yarn through the loop and then to slip the loop onto the right hand needle to form an extra stitch without dropping the yarn from the needle. When the yarn slips from the needle, it is termed a dropped stitch and imperfect work results. When knitting without visualobservation of the needles and yarn, it is easy to drop a stitch. However, by utilizing a needle having the reduced neck and the acorn shaped head of my invention, the fingers of the knitter can draw the yarn about the needle and the needle then can be manipulated withassurance that the yarn will not slip from the needle. This allows a more precise and a faster knitting of the garment and allows the knitter, at the same time, to watch a television program.

To the aboveend, as the needle is manipulated, the

'yarnis drawn forward along the reduced neck 5 and around the base of the head until it nests or fits into the grooves and against the shoulders somewhat in the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. With some knitters, this position will be varied slightly in that more of a loop will be defined about the neck. In either event, the yarn will rest snugly against the base or shank end of the ridges 3 with the adjoining end portions of the yarn 10 resting in spaced ones of the grooves 9. With the yarn in this position, the needle can be drawn or pulled through and the loop slipped on the right hand needle to form the stitch. After a little practice, the average-person can accomplish this function without visual observation of the needies and the yarn merely by feeling the location of the yarn with respect to both the head and the joinder of the head and the reduced neck 5. In one continuous motion, the yarn is drawn forward around the right hand needle and is brought to rest against the projecting ridges 8. Almost with the same motion, the knitter begins to pull upon the needle to draw the yarn through. The stitch then is completed by slipping the loop onto the shank of the right hand needle. During the initial portion of this movement, the end portions of the yarn 10 have come to rest Within the saddles or grooves 9 and, with experience, a check can be made as the fingers of the knitter actually can feel this position. With the yarn thus secured, the knitter is assured that the loop will not fall off or come loose while the stitch is taken. Further, since the yarn l0 lies within'the peripheral outline defined by the margins of the ridges 3, an endwise pull upon the needle will carry the yarn along with the head of the needle and thus will form the stitch each and every time.

In summary, we have provided a knitting needle having an acorn shaped head which is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof. This head carries a plurality of longitudinal ridges which are separated by an equal plurality of longitudinalgrooves. The ridges terminate at the base end of the head in radial shoulders which lie substantially in a common plane normal to the axis of the head to retain the yarn. This construction allows a rapid, positive knitting stitch to be taken without visual observation of the work, and thus allows a housewife to knit while watching the viewing screen of a television receiver. At the same time, this construction provides a digital feel or a telltale which will not injure the fingers of the knitter and will not damage the work in progress. The needle itself is capable of mass production at a low price, and thus the simplicity thereof is of substantial benefit in making the improved needle available at a low cost to the many housewives and others who practice knitting.

We claim:

1. A head for a knitting needle having an elongated acorn shape which is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof to allow the needle to be worked with equal facilitywhile held in any rotational'position, a plurality of rounded longitudinal ridges and an equal-plurality of intervening rounded longitudinal grooves formed radially in said acorn shape, said ridges being convergent toward the tip of said shape and divergenttoward the base where they terminate in radial shoulders lying substantially in a common plane normal to said longitudinal axis in order to catch a length of yarn or the. like.

-2. In combination, a knitting needle having an elongated shank joined by a reduced neck portion to an enlarged head, said head having plural radially protruding and longitudinally extending ridges separated fromone another by intervening longitudinal grooves, the shank ends of said ridges lying in a common plane and being spaced radially from said neck a distance greater than the diameter of a length of knitting yarn, said grooves being deeper than the diameter of a length of knitting yarn adjacent said neck and becoming progressively more narrow toward the tip of said needle.

3. An article of manufacture, comprising a knitting needle having an elongated cylindrical shank joined by a reduced neck portion to an enlarged head, said needle being symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical shank, said headhaving-at least four radially protruding and longitudinally extending ridges separated from one another by intervening longitudinal grooves defining saddles for the rece tion of a length of yarn or the like, said ridges being convergent in a longitudinal direction away from said shank and being joined adjacent the end of said head to define a pointed tip upon the needle, the shank ends of said ridges lying in a common plane normal to said longitudinal axis and being spaced radially equal distances from said neck to define projecting shoulders to catch a length of yarn or the like.

4. In combination, an elongated knitting needle having a reduced neck portion and an enlarged acorn shaped head, said needle head being symmetrical about the longitudinal axis thereof, said reduced neck being of decreasing circular cross section progressing in a longitudinal. direction toward said head, said head having plural radially protruding and longitudinally extending ridges separated from one another by intervening longitudinal grooves, said ridges being convergent in a longitudinal direction and being joined adjacent the tip end of said head to define a pointed tip upon the needle, the opposite ends of said ridges lying in a common plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said head and being spaced radially equal distances from said neck, the surfaces of both said ridges and said grooves being smooth and rounded.

5. An article of manufacture, comprising an integral metal knitting needle having an elongated cylindrical shank joined by a reduced neck portion to an enlarged head, said needle being symmetrical about the axis of said cylindrical shank, said reduced neck being of decreasing circular cross section in a longitudinal direction from said shank to said head, said head having six radially protruding and longitudinally extending ridges separated from one another by six intervening longitudinal grooves defining saddles for the reception of a length of yarn or the like, said ridges being convergent in a longitudinal direction away from said shank and being joined adjacent the end of said head to define a pointed tip upon the needle, the shank ends of said ridges lying in a common plane normal to said axis and being spaced radially equal distances from said neck to define projecting shoulders to catch a length of yarn or the like, the surfaces of both said ridges and said grooves being smooth and rounded, said rounded grooves extending in a longitudinal direction substantially parallel said axis and becoming progressively more narrow toward the tip of said needle.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

